I think if done right this will, be better than the Star Trek Franchise, and could very well run a long time, mind saying that I dont know about 400 episodes that does seem a lot for any franchise, and look what happened to Star Trek in the end.

I read THIS in Star Wars Insider last week, it sounds like Boba Fett is indeed a part of the series, as confirmed by Rick McCallum. It is said that he is "an instrumental part of it", along with other bounty hunters.

I read something not long ago, and I don't know where or what it was about, that Lucas was really pissed about "Rome" going off the air on HBO... Then in that article you posted, it mentions the storyline of this live-action show revolving around "an Empire" and how it grows and falls, etc...

Sounds like Lucas got some inspiration from Rome, and he's really looking to duplicate that series, somewhat anyway, with the live-action show, and at least play it out like the birth of Rome with the birth of the Galactic Empire... I'm sort of intrigued by that.

Rome was a good series, and got cut short IMO... Same with Deadwood. And thinking to the production values of both, it really makes you think a Star Wars series could be better than maybe people are expecting.

I'm intrigued... I like the idea of seeing how the Empire expands, how it starts to take control of planets and systems in the outer rim where there's a sort of "lawless" feel because species like the Hutts control them, and how the Empire actually has good intentions to bring order to chaos, and how people support that (at least at first), but how it crumbles within over time because of people who are power-hungry and such...

The thing is, the timeframe of Rome on HBO is a bit longer than 20 years I think, but still, 20 years is a good bit of time to play with. It's longer than either trilogy had to mess with really.

I still hold out hope for this. Call me a blind fanatic I guess, but I'm just a SW fan at heart and I wish for the best with these projects.

Clone Wars I think is more locked into greatness because of the first series' popularity, and them taking it in a more "moody" and adult direction... The live-action show, based on what I've heard, and some speculation on things like the Rome series being a possible inspiration and things, I believe could be just as good or even better.

I wonder if he'd really be ballsy enough to take it to HBO too though? That would take guts to me... Smaller market, but man it would open doors to you too, if you were gutsy enough to go through them, in terms of how "graphic" you could take the saga... I doubt he'd go that route personally, but I think it would be interesting to see.

I totally agree with Nathan here... it'll be a miracle of sorts if the show makes 100 episodes, but 400 is totally out of reach. Look at the Simpsons, they just had their 400th episode last year and that show has been airing since 1989.

Lucasfilm may have high hopes and dreams for this show but if the ratings are bad then the network will have no problem axing the thing. That's really what I'm worried about here. Star Wars shows are really only going to be watched by Star Wars fans. You're probably thinking that there are tons of Star Wars fans that will make this show a ratings success but you have to remember that there are OT purists who will not watch anything set in the PT era, there are Canon purists who disregard the EU... so really the show is only going to be watched by the hardcore fans who eat up anything Lucasfilm gives them with a spoon.

I hate to sound so negative but it's really funny how McCallum has all these false hopes and dreams for the series... they should just focus on trying to make a good show that will hook not only SW fans but casual fans as well because once the ratings go south... it's over.

So the Force unleasehed and the Live action TV Series are set in the same between EP III and EP IV. Didn't they cast real actors for the parts in the game. Could we see some of those characters show up on on the TV series. hummmmmm

I think the Vanity Fair article recently maybe mentioned something about that? I know I heard/read somewhere something about the actors perhaps reprising roles from the game in the TV show, but it was just speculation... Nothing concrete from anyone "important". Maybe just wishful thinking onthe part of whoever I heard said it... Weird stuff.

I was thinking more about the live action show lately, and I was curious about something. I know we've heard before that there will be "no main characters", instead focusing on lesser known and/or new characters in the Saga. My question is, who does Lucas/Lucasfilm consider "main"? We already know that Boba Fett is in the series, and although he isn't a "main" character - he is well known. Lucas has also said numerous times in the past that the Saga is shown from the droids' eyes, so will R2/3PO be in the series? What about characters like Chewie? He's definitely a main character, but I could see him making a cameo if they're on Kashyyyk (or some related Wookiee story) - I'm sure Peter Mayhew would be up for it.

Anyways, I know that many would prefer seeing new/lesser characters - but I personally wouldn't mind seeing some of the "names" we know from the trilogies. Even younger Imperial officers, or a young Ackbar, etc. We know this isn't going to be the Han/Luke/Leia and Vader show, but how do you feel about the "supporting" cast?

Last year's animated big-and-small-screen series Clone Wars brought the Star Wars franchise to TV for the first time since that Christmas special. But according to MTV, George Lucas has started casting for a new Star Wars live-action television series, which would take place between Episode III (Revenge of the Sith) and Episode IV (A New Hope).

The plot of the series would "follow the Rebel Alliance as it slowly gains strength against the Empire. There will be Stormtroopers, but no Jedi or Darth Vader will appear on screen. As he did with the “Clone Wars” series, Lucas will write and shoot an entire year’s worth of episodes before looking for a cable channel on which to air the series."

There's been reports of the chief Jedi working on script for this, but it was an actor that broke the news.

During a junket for the new film Knowing, actress Rose Byrne, who was in 2002's Attack of the Clones, told MTV that:

"My experience was wonderful. George is a great guy. I was just there for a week, standing behind Natalie [Portman] looking very demure and supportive. 95% of the fan mail I get is from ‘Star Wars’ and I’ve never seen them. A lot of my friends have been auditioning for [the new Star Wars series]."

When asked if she'd audition, Byrne, who also stars on the FX show Damages said: "I’m on a show. I don’t know if I look that good in space.”

As Adam pointed out here, Star Wars and Star Trek are like matter vs antimatter. So this new project will need to be something special to stand up to JJ Abrams' pretty rad looking Star Trek redux?

Regarding characters, There was a recent story on this in some magazine a few months back. Here is what I remember reading. Main characters who would not appear included Vader, Emperor, Obi-Wan, Yoda. Anthony Daniels would be featured frequently as 3PO. Jimmy Smits has had discussions and it looks likely he will reappear. Temeura Morrison was mentioned. Other characters who were mentioned were Antilles, Dodonna, R2, Owen, Beru, the twins, Tarkin, Ackbar, Mothma, the Bounty Hunters, Jabba, Imperials from the OT, Madine, various Stormtroopers evolving into the OT Stormtropers and a few Jedi that fans would recognize. It also stated that many of these characters may only show up in one episode and may have no more than a few minutes of dialogue. Also there may be a surprise guest occasionally. I dont remember the whole article and may have missed a few items.

Regarding characters, There was a recent story on this in some magazine a few months back. Here is what I remember reading. Main characters who would not appear included Vader, Emperor, Obi-Wan, Yoda. Anthony Daniels would be featured frequently as 3PO. Jimmy Smits has had discussions and it looks likely he will reappear. Temeura Morrison was mentioned. Other characters who were mentioned were Antilles, Dodonna, R2, Owen, Beru, the twins, Tarkin, Ackbar, Mothma, the Bounty Hunters, Jabba, Imperials from the OT, Madine, various Stormtroopers evolving into the OT Stormtropers and a few Jedi that fans would recognize. It also stated that many of these characters may only show up in one episode and may have no more than a few minutes of dialogue. Also there may be a surprise guest occasionally. I dont remember the whole article and may have missed a few items.

That's interesting to hear. I can totally see them avoiding the "big guns", particularly Anakin, Obi-Wan, etc. I could see a brief Vader "appearance" for a sweeps episode or something, but not as a regular character. I might be in the minority, but I'd sort of like to see some "recognizable" characters though. I'm hoping R2/3PO would indeed be included, and some of the minor/supporting characters you mentioned would be good to see as well. You could get a little more background on characters like Ackbar, Madine, Antilles, etc. I know this show is likely a ways off, but I'm really looking forward to it if/when it gets here. As much as I enjoy the Clone Wars toon, it would be nice to see something that is starting to lean a little more towards the OT time period - without overwriting what we saw/learned in the movies.

Such as giving someone a Padawan that they have tons and tons of adventures with. A Padawan that isn't mentioned in Episode III and doesn't show up in the previous Clone Wars cannon...that sort of overwriting?

Yeah, exactly. I don't necessarily have a problem with Ahsoka as a character in the CW series, particularly in the latter half of the season where they toned her down a bit to make her less "unstoppable" - but it does sort of bother me that there is no reference to her in any of the movies in any other way. Of course it is because they didn't think of/conceive her character until after the movies, but its just an example of something Lucas sometimes does where he shoehorns something in and it doesn't necessarily have to make sense. Personally, I don't care as much when EU stuff gets "overwritten", mainly because I don't have the investment in EU that many others do - and I do feel like the movies, and to a lesser extent the TV series, are the true "canon". That being said, its too bad that they wouldn't have had this planned out a little further in advance and they could have at least mentioned Ahsoka in some way in ROTS, if this was the overall plan for her to be such a major part of Anakin (and Obi-Wan's) lives during the Clone Wars.